Roots and Resources - global and regional experience and analysis
These documents and links may help people in Burma/Myanmar think about the risks and benefits of "development", especially when imposed from top and from outside, without full and deep consultation with the people whose are most affected. This and other sections (Land, Forests etc.) also cover corporate and military-corporate appropriation of land and other resources.

" Since 1966 Resurgence magazine has been one of the pillars of environmental thinking, generating an ecological awareness essential for human and planetary well-being and survival..." USED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. NOW A PAY SITE.

"Founded in 1970, 'The Ecologist' is the world's most widely-read environmental magazine. Published in four continents, The Ecologist is read by over 200,000 people in 150 countries. A key player in major environmental campaigns against GM crops, rainforest destruction, climate change and the impact of globalisation, The Ecologist's early-warning signs have helped set environmental and political agendas across the world...."

"Welcome to the website of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Limits to Growth, a new platform for cross-party dialogue on economic growth in a time of environmental and social transition. Our aims are: to create the space for cross-party dialogue on environmental and social limits to growth; to assess the evidence for such limits, identify the risks and build support for appropriate responses; and to contribute to the international debate on redefining prosperity."

"Focus on the Global South is a program of development policy research, analysis and action. Focus engages in research, analysis, advocacy and grassroots capacity building on critical issues. It was founded in 1995 and is currently attached to the Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute (CUSRI) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Focus was founded, the same year the World Trade Organization came into existence. At that time, the system of corporate-driven globalisation was at its apogee. Focus’s program and structure reflected the priorities of a people’s movement that was facing a steep uphill struggle as it grappled with the impact of globalisation on the daily lives and struggles of the poor and marginalized people in the South. Today, corporate-driven globalisation is suffering a deep crisis of legitimacy globally and is on the ideological defensive, even as its poverty-creating, inequality-increasing, and ecologically destructive structure and dynamics continue to grind on.
Focus has also traveled considerably from its starting point. It is today widely considered a “key player” in the global movement for a different and better world. Its analyses of global developments are extensively consulted, as are its suggestions for structural change.
Focus’ goals have not changed. They continue to be the dismantling of oppressive economic and political structures and institutions, the creation of liberating structures and institutions, demilitarization, and the promotion of peace-building instead of conflict. It is the programmatic and organizational expressions of these goals that need to be adapted to the changes in the global balance of forces" ... Rich seam of articles, links, news etc.

"The International Institute for Sustainable Development is a Canadian-based, international public policy research institute for sustainable development.
Since it was first articulated in the Brundtland Commission’s Our Common Future in 1987, sustainable development has never been superseded by a more compelling or universally-acceptable expression of humanity’s shared goals. At its simplest level, any form of development that is not sustainable contains the seeds of its own destruction. For development to be sustainable, it must not only generate wealth: it must also advance social justice, reduce and eventually eliminate poverty, and remain within the limits imposed by ecosystem and resource resilience..."

"Low-tech Magazine refuses to assume that every problem has a high-tech solution. A simple, sensible, but nevertheless controversial message; high-tech has become the idol of our society.
Instead, Low-tech Magazine talks about the potential of past and often forgotten knowledge and technologies when it comes to designing a sustainable society. Sometimes, these low-tech solutions could be copied without any changes. More often, interesting possibilities arise when you combine old technology with new knowledge and new materials, or when you apply old concepts and traditional knowledge to modern technology. We also keep an eye on what is happening in the developing world, where resource constraints often lead to inventive, low-tech solutions.
Underlying the common view of a high-tech sustainable society is the belief that we don't have to change our affluent lifestyle. This is not a realistic view, but it sells. However, changing our lifestyle does not mean that we have to go back to the middle ages and give up all modern comforts. A downsized, sustainable industrial civilization is very well possible - and more fun, too!"

"MYLAFF - a forum for sharing information about land, rural livelihoods, forests, fisheries, agribusiness investment and natural resource management in Myanmar...
The main URL given here is the public entry to MYLAFF. For access to more documents, users have to sign up to MYLAFF...
*Members of the forum include government officials, staff of donor agencies and NGOs, project experts, academics and business people...
*We aim to support rural development in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar through providing stakeholders and decision-makers with a space for communication and better access to information and analysis...
*Our online document repository is at www.mylaff.org, where you can find a wide variety of documents in both English and Myanmar language, alongside others...Under Farming Systems, MYLAFF has a section on shifting cultivation...
*More information is available in the FAQ, which is available here: http://www.mylaff.org/static/MyLAFF_FAQ.pdf..."

"Navdanya means “nine seeds” (symbolizing protection of biological and cultural diversity) and also the “new gift” (for seed as commons, based on theright to save and share seeds In today’s context of biological and ecological destruction, seed savers are the true givers of seed. This gift or “dana” of Navadhanyas (nine seeds) is the ultimate gift – it is a gift of life, of heritage and continuity. Conserving seed is conserving biodiversity, conserving knowledge of the seed and its utilization, conserving culture, conserving sustainability.
Navdanya is a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 17 states in India.
Navdanya has helped set up 111 community seed banks across the country, trained over 5,00,000 farmers in seed sovereignty, food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture over the past two decades, and helped setup the largest direct marketing, fair trade organic network in the country.
Navdanya has also set up a learning center, Bija Vidyapeeth (School of the Seed / Earth University) on its biodiversity conservation and organic farm in Doon Valley, Uttarakhand, North India.
Navdanya is actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture. It has created awareness on the hazards of genetic engineering, defended people's knowledge from biopiracy and food rights in the face of globalisation and climate change.
Navdanya is a women centred movement for the protection of biological and cultural diversity."..... Earth Democracy Climate Change...
Women for Diversity...Organic Movement...
The Earth University - Bija Vidyapeeth
Campaigns.....Several useful publications for download

" nef (the new economics foundation) is an independent think-and-do tank that inspires and demonstrates real economic well-being.
We aim to improve quality of life by promoting innovative solutions that challenge mainstream thinking on economic, environment and social issues. We work in partnership and put people and the planet first.
nef was founded in 1986 by the leaders of The Other Economic Summit (TOES) which forced issues such as international debt onto the agenda of the G7 and G8 summits.
We are unique in combining rigorous analysis and policy debate with practical solutions on the ground, often run and designed with the help of local people. We also create new ways of measuring progress towards increased well-being and environmental sustainability.
nef works with all sections of society in the UK and internationally - civil society, government, individuals, businesses and academia - to create more understanding and strategies for change..."

"The mission of the New Economy Coalition (NEC) is to convene and support all those who might contribute to an economy that is restorative to people, place, and planet, and that operates according to principles of democracy, justice and appropriate scale. Faced with interconnected ecological and economic crises, we believe that shared prosperity, sustainability and an equitable society require deep, systemic changes to both our economy and our politics. We support a just transition to a new economy that enables both thriving communities and ecological health.
Today, the majority of people are deprived of a voice in political and economic life. Fundamental flaws in the political economic system permit the concentration of resources and power, exacerbating inequality and destroying ecosystems. The beneficiaries of this system obstruct efforts to restore communities and livelihoods. These crises are poisoning our water, air, and land; creating climate chaos; and driving millions into disease and poverty.
The old models have not delivered. Something new is required..."

"Our distinctive practical approach:-
Technology challenging today's divided world:
Practical Action works alongside communities to find practical solutions to the poverty they face. We see technology as a vital contributor to people’s livelihoods. Our definition of technology includes physical infrastructure, machinery and equipment, knowledge and skills and the capacity to organise and use all of these.
We actively seek to work with communities and adopt a collaborative approach, sharing knowledge and experience. We increase our impact by scaling up success and pushing for policy change that directly benefits poor communities...
Practical Action's vision and mission:
Vision - Technology justice: a sustainable world free of poverty and injustice in which technology is used for the benefit of all...
Mission - To contribute to poor people’s wellbeing, using technology to challenge poverty by:
* building the capabilities of poor men and women;
* improving their access to technical options and knowledge; and
* working with them to influence social, economic and institutional systems for innovation and the use of technology..."....The Documents Library contains many appropriate technology downloads.

Adobe:
Manual "Adobe production" (pdf, 480 KB)
This manual was designed for builders, technicians and other professionals involved in rural housing development programmes in humid tropical climates.
This manual is also available in Spanish (pdf, 470 KB) French (pdf, 470 KB) and Portuguese (pdf, 470 KB)...
Anti-seismic construction:
Handbook "Adobe - anti-seismic construction handbook" (pdf, 2,7 MB)
The aim of this handbook is to assist engineers and the population at large in repairing houses correctly
This handbook is also available in French (pdf, 2,7 MB)
Handbook "Wattle & Daub - anti-seismic construction handbook" (pdf, 2,8 MB)
The aim of this construction handbook is to provide theoretical and technical support for use by building engineers, construction workers and all those who decide to build their own house.
This handbook is also available in Spanish (pdf, 4,7 MB) and French (pdf, 2,8 MB)
Handbook "Rehabilitation - anti-seismic construction handbook" (pdf, 1,6 MB)
After an earthquake many houses resist well or suffer some damage which can be repaired without needing to demolish the house. The aim of this handbook is to assist engineers and the population at large in repairing houses correctly.
This handbook is also available in Spanish (pdf, 2,5 MB) and French (pdf, 1,6 MB)

"RESOLVE is a novel, cross-disciplinary research collaboration between four separate groups in the University of Surrey: the Centre for Environmental Strategy, the Environmental Psychology Research Group, the Surrey Energy Economics Centre and the Department of Sociology.
The overall aim of RESOLVE is to develop a robust understanding of the links between lifestyle, societal values and environment. In particular, RESOLVE will work to provide robust, evidence-based advice to policy-makers in the UK and elsewhere who are seeking to understand and to influence the behaviours and practices of 'energy consumers'. Specific objectives of the proposed research group will be:..."

A global coalition of 14 Partners and over 120 international, regional and community organizations advancing forest tenure, policy, and market reforms.....
Core Beliefs:
"Based on our experience, we find that empowerment of rural people and asset-based development are part of a process that is dependent on a set of enabling conditions, including security of tenure to access and use natural resources. As a coalition of diverse and varied organizations, RRI is guided by a set of core beliefs...
Rights of Poor Communities Must Be Recognized and Strengthened:
We believe it is possible to achieve the seemingly irreconcilable goals of alleviating poverty, conserving forests and encouraging sustained economic growth in forested regions. However, for this to happen, the rights of poor communities to forests and trees, as well as their rights to participate fully in markets and the political processes that regulate forest use, must be recognized and strengthened.
...
Progress Requires Supporting and Responding to Local Communities:
We believe that progress requires supporting, and responding to, local community organizations and their efforts to advance their own well-being...
Now is the Time to Act:
We believe that the next few decades are particularly critical. They represent an historic moment where there can be either dramatic gains, or losses, in the lives and well-being of the forest poor, as well as in the conservation and restoration of the world’s threatened forests...
Progress Requires Engagement and Constructive Participation by All:
It is clear that progress on the necessary tenure and policy reforms requires constructive participation by communities, governments and the private sector, as well as new research and analysis of policy options and new mechanisms to share learning between communities, governments and the private sector...
Reforming Forest Tenure and Governance Requires a Focused and Sustained Global Effort:
We believe that reforming forest tenure and governance to the scale necessary to achieve either the Millennium Development Goals, or the broader goals of improved well-being, forest conservation and sustained-forest-based economic growth will require a new, clearly focused and sustained global effort by the global development community."

MAIN THEMES:
Ethical and philosophical fundamentals: subjectivity, domination, and emancipation...
Human rights, peoples, territories, and defense of Mother Earth...
Political subjects, the architecture of power, and democracy...
Production, distribution and consumption, access to wealth, common goods, and economies in transition.

"Shift is an independent, non-profit center for business and human rights practice. We help governments, businesses and their stakeholders put the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights into practice. We share our learning by developing public guidance materials that help build the field globally.
We were established in July 2011, following the unanimous endorsement of the Guiding Principles by the UN Human Rights Council, which marked the successful conclusion of the mandate of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Business and Human Rights, Professor John Ruggie. Our team was centrally involved in shaping and writing the UN Guiding Principles, and Prof. Ruggie is Chair of our Board of Trustees..."
.

"... The Third World Network is an independent non-profit international network of organizations and individuals involved in issues relating to development, the Third World and North- South issues.
Its objectives are to conduct research on economic, social and environmental issues pertaining to the South; to publish books and magazines; to organize and participate in seminars; and to provide a platform representing broadly Southern interests and perspectives at international fora such as the UN conferences and processes.
Its recent and current activities include: the publication of the daily SUNS (South - North Develoment Monitor) bulletin from Geneva, Switzerland, the fortnightly Third World Economics and the monthly Third World Resurgence; the publication of Third World Network Features; the publication of books on environment and economic issues; the organizing of various seminars and workshops; and participation in international processes such as UNCED and the World Bank - NGO Committee..." Its online publications include extracts and compilations of • "Third World Resurgence";
• "Third World Economics";
• "TWN Features";
• Position Papers;
• Briefing Papers etc.

"The Transnational Institute (TNI) of Policy Studies:
* carries out radical informed analysis on critical global issues
* builds alliances with social movements
* develops proposals for a more sustainable, just and democratic world....
Over almost 40 years, TNI has gained an international reputation for:
* carrying out well researched and radical critiques – sometimes against the grain - of current pressing global problems
* anticipating and producing informed work on key issues long before they become mainstream concerns, for example, our work on food and hunger, third world debt, transnational corporations, trade, and carbon trading
* Supporting and enhancing social movements’ work for economic and social justice worldwide
* naming outstanding TNI fellows from many countries and backgrounds whose scholarship, analysis and research have inspired and educated generations of activists and whose writings continue to provoke debate
* building alternatives that are both just and pragmatic, for example developing alternative approaches to international drugs policy and providing support for the practical detailed work of public water services reform
* influencing policy makers thanks to its research and its direct links and engagement with mass movements, particularly those most affected by current global economic and social policies
* remaining non-sectarian and able to bridge different political tendencies, thereby helping build coalitions of social movements that span regions and continents..."

"Through research and outreach that inspire action, the Worldwatch Institute works to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world that meets human needs. The Institute’s top mission objectives are universal access to renewable energy and nutritious food, expansion of environmentally sound jobs and development, transformation of cultures from consumerism to sustainability, and an early end to population growth through healthy and intentional childbearing..." Publishes the annual "State of the World" reports and other publications

Research Group 1:
Future Energy and Mobility Structures
Research Group 2:
Energy, Transport and Climate Policy
Research Group 3:
Material Flows and Resource Management
Research Group 4:
Sustainable Production and Consumption
Cross-cutting projects:
– Sustainable Globalisation
– Eco-Sufficiency and Quality of Life
– Integrated Sustainability Scenarios
...includes "Wuppertal Papers" published in English, publications by Wolfgang Sachs etc.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
"Four and a half decades after the Club of Rome published its landmark report
on
Limits to Growth
, the study remains critical to our understanding of economic
prosperity. This new review of the
Limits
debate has been written to mark the
launch of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Limits to Growth.
The 1972 report articulated for the first time the dynamic nature of our dependency
on physical resources and on ecological systems. It illustrated the processes of
‘overshoot and collapse’ that can occur when these limits are approached and
suggested that, without a shift in direction, adverse consequences would become
obvious “within the next century”. The report attracted fierce controversy. It also
inspired generations of environmental and social thinkers. It continues to offer
challenging insights into the predicaments of the 21st Century economy.
Limits Revisited
outlines the contents of the Club of Rome’s report, traces the
history of responses to it and dispels some of the myths surrounding it. We
unravel the arguments that have raged for forty years in its aftermath and explore
more recent findings which relate to the original hypothesis.
There is unsettling evidence that society is still following the ‘standard run’ of the
original study – in which overshoot leads to an eventual collapse of production
and living standards. Detailed recent studies suggests that production of some
key resources may only be decades away.
Certain other limits to growth – less visible in the 1972 report – present equally
pressing challenges to modern society. We highlight, in particular, recent work on
our proximity to ‘planetary boundaries’ and illustrate this through the challenge
of meeting the Paris Agreement on climate change. We also explore the economic
challenge of a ‘secular stagnation’.
If the Club of Rome is right, the next few decades are decisive. One of the most
important lessons from the study is that early responses are absolutely vital
as limits are approached. Faced with these challenges, there is also clearly a
premium on creating political space for change and developing positive narratives
of progress. A part of the aim of the APPG is create that space"

"Practically isolated from the global market for 50 years, Myanmar is still largely dependent on agriculture. But the country is one of the most at risk from climate change and no one feels these pressures more than the rural smallholder farmers who make up the backbone of its food system and rural economy.
Shorter monsoons and rising temperatures mean severe droughts have become more frequent in recent decades. This has led to higher levels of saltwater intrusion in important rice growing territories and an increase in the risk of complete crop failure.
Proximity Designs is a social enterprise which was founded to provide farmers with low-cost, low-tech equipment to help them adapt and thrive in their changing environment.
They ensure their products are both affordable and suitable by employing a team of data-gatherers to conduct thorough research within the farming communities. And thanks to a network of some 900 scooter-driving "field agents", their products can even find their way to the most remote parts of the country.
Russell Beard travels to Myanmar to meet the innovators behind Proximity Designs and to see how their products and expertise are helping farmers stay one step ahead in a changing world."

"Don’t hold your breath, but future historians may look back on 2015 as the year that the renewable energy ascendancy began, the moment when the world started to move decisively away from its reliance on fossil fuels. Those fuels -- oil, natural gas, and coal -- will, of course, continue to dominate the energy landscape for years to come, adding billions of tons of heat-trapping carbon to the atmosphere. For the first time, however, it appears that a shift to renewable energy sources is gaining momentum. If sustained, it will have momentous implications for the world economy -- as profound as the shift from wood to coal or coal to oil in previous centuries..."

"We think we understand environmental damage: pollution, water scarcity, a warming world. But these problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Deeper issues include food insecurity, financial assets drained of value by environmental damage, and a rapid rise in diseases of animal origin. These and other problems are among the underreported consequences of an unsustainable global system.
In State of the World 2015, the flagship publication of the Worldwatch Institute, experts explore hidden threats to sustainability and how to address them. Eight key issues are addressed in depth, along with the central question of how we can develop resilience to these and other shocks. With the latest edition of State of the World, the authorities at Worldwatch bring to light challenges we can no longer afford to ignore."

"...Since 1990, city and regional leaders have come together through organizations like ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability to serve as counterparts to national governments and the United Nations. As many local governments become concerned about the increasingly discussed failure of global governance, leaders across cities and towns are looking for opportunities to strengthen their impact.
“To the extent that national interests have allowed, UN organizations and the global processes under their influence have been supportive of this newly born movement in civil society,” says Zimmerman. “Local actors…have mirrored global efforts at nearly every stage and have often stimulated the debate among nations with their own commitments.”..."

"Over the past few years an explosion of innovative activism, scholarship and projects focused on the commons has been gaining momentum around the world. This growing movement consists of activists fighting international land grabs and the privatization of water; commoners collectively managing forests, fisheries and farmlands; Internet users generating software and Web content that can be shared and improved; and urban dwellers reclaiming public spaces. "The Wealth of the Commons" brings together the most vibrant strands of this burgeoning international work into a single volume, revealing the significant potential of the commons as a new force in politics, economics and culture...
We are poised between an old world that no longer works and a new one struggling to be born. Surrounded by centralized hierarchies on the one hand and predatory markets on the other, people around the world are searching for alternatives. The Wealth of the Commons explains how millions of commoners have organized to defend their forests and fisheries, reinvent local food systems, organize productive online communities, reclaim public spaces, improve environmental stewardship and re-imagine the very meaning of “progress” and governance. In short: how they’ve built their commons.
In 73 timely essays by a remarkable international roster of activists, academics and project leaders, this book chronicles ongoing struggles against the private commoditization of shared resources – often known as “market enclosures” – while documenting the immense generative power of the commons. "The Wealth of the Commons" is about history, political change, public policy and cultural transformation on a global scale – but most of all, it’s about commoners taking charge of their lives and their endangered resources. It’s about common people doing uncommon things..."

“American Empire: An Act of Collective Madness” sheds light on the manner that the corporate controlled nation is holding out the genetically modified carrot to the masses rather than the flame of truth.
Yet, here it is, a documentary film conceived, researched, written and narrated with the newly emerging feminine voice.
Patrea Patrick’s unifying vision innovates the documentary into a holistic, integral feminine form by weaving interconnected threads into an awakened tapestry depicting what has gone so terribly wrong in the United States of America....."we are in such big trouble, there doesn't seem to be a way out . Most americans don't see it coming and the powerful elites are too egocentric to accept it as reality. We are going to kill ourselves and everything else on the way out the door. And the tyranny we imposed on the rest of the world, is being redirected internally. The country has already been disemboweled, 70,000 thousand factories defected, chasing cheap labor, leaving behind the very people responsible for their success, treason. Politicians don't represent the people, only corporate interests, treason. The blueprint for destruction..."

The Challenge of hunger: ensuring sustainable food security under land, water and energy stresses..."World hunger, according to the 2012 Global Hunger Index (GHI), has
declined somewhat since 1990 but remains “serious.” The global
average masks dramatic differences among regions and countries.
Regionally, the highest GHI scores are in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. South Asia reduced its GHI score significantly between
1990 and 1996—mainly by reducing the share of underweight children—but could not maintain this rapid progress. Though Sub-Saharan Africa made less progress than South Asia in the 1990s, it has
caught up since the turn of the millennium, with its 2012 GHI score
falling below that of South Asia.
From the 1990 GHI to the 2012 GHI, 15 countries reduced
their scores by 50 percent or more. In terms of absolute progress,
between the 1990 GHI and the 2012 GHI, Angola, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nicaragua, Niger, and Vietnam saw the largest improvements in their scores.
Twenty countries still have levels of hunger that are “extremely
alarming” or “alarming.” Most of the countries with alarming GHI scores
are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (the 2012 GHI does not,
however, reflect the recent crisis in the Horn of Africa, which intensified in 2011, or the uncertain food situation in the Sahel). Two of the
three countries with extremely alarming 2012 GHI scores—Burundi
and Eritrea—are in Sub-Saharan Africa; the third country with an
extremely alarming score is Haiti. Its GHI score fell by about one quarter from 1990 to 2001, but most of this improvement was reversed in
subsequent years. The devastating January 2010 earthquake, although
not yet fully captured by the 2012 GHI because of insufficient availability of recent data, pushed Haiti back into the category of “extremely alarming.” In contrast to recent years, the Democratic Republic of
Congo is not listed as “extremely alarming,” because insufficient data
are available to calculate the country’s GHI score. Current and reliable
data are urgently needed to appraise the situation in the country.
Recent developments in the land, water, and energy sectors
have been wake-up calls for global food security: the stark reality is
that the world needs to produce more food with fewer resources, while
eliminating wasteful practices and policies. Demographic changes,
income increases, climate change, and poor policies and institutions
are driving natural resource scarcity in ways that threaten food production and the environment on which it depends. Food security is now
inextricably linked to developments in the water, energy, and land sectors. Rising energy prices affect farmers’ costs for fuel and fertilizer,
increase demand for biofuel crops relative to food crops, and raise the
price of water use. Agriculture already occurs within a context of land
scarcity in terms of both quantity and quality: the world’s best arable
land is already under cultivation, and unsustainable agricultural practices have led to significant land degradation. The scarcity of farmland
coupled with shortsighted bioenergy policies has led to major foreign
summary
investments in land in a number of developing countries, putting local
people’s land rights at risk. In addition, water is scarce and likely to
become scarcer with climate change.
To halt this trend, more holistic strategies are needed for dealing with land, water, energy, and food, and they are needed soon. To
manage natural resources sustainably, it is important to secure land
and water rights; phase out inefficient subsidies on water, energy, and
fertilizers; and create a macroeconomic environment that promotes
efficient use of natural resources. It is important to scale up technical solutions, particularly those that conserve natural resources and
foster more efficient and effective use of land, energy, and water along
the value chain. It is also crucial to tame the drivers of natural
resource scarcity by, for example, addressing demographic change,
women’s access to education, and reproductive health; raising
incomes and lowering inequality; and mitigating and adapting to climate change through agriculture.
Food security under land, water, and energy stress poses daunting challenges. The policy steps described in this report show how we
can meet these challenges in a sustainable and affordable way."

A new study finds a link between land rights, water, energy and hunger...Countries where people lack adequate access to land rights, water and energy – are among the worst performers in the annual Global Hunger Index (GHI).
“We find there is a definite correlation between these resources and food insecurity,” said Claudia Ringler, a co-author of this year’s GHI study, which was produced jointly by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the NGOs Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.
The GHI study compared data on people’s access to arable land, clean water and cheap energy to their countries GHI scores, which are calculated using three indicators: undernourishment, child mortality and child underweight data.
Twenty countries have levels of hunger that are “extremely alarming” or “alarming” according to the index. Most countries with alarming GHI scores are in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia; the three countries with extremely alarming GHI scores are Burundi and Eritrea and Haiti.
Food security is inextricably linked to developments in the water, energy, and land sectors, as many experts have begun to show. "We are not saying anything people don't know already, but drawing their attention to it again through this study," said Ringler.
The study underscores the role of land grabs - the practice of leasing out land to international companies, often to grow export crops to produce biofuel - in food security.
“Rising energy prices affect farmers’ costs for fuel and fertilizer, increase demand for biofuel crops relative to food crops, and raise the price of water use,” says the GHI report.

"... In February 2011 media outlets worldwide reported that China had surpassed Thailand as the largest foreign investor in Myanmar.1 China had US$8.25 billion of approved investment in fiscal year 2010–11 (which in Myanmar runs April to March), all for projects in the extractive and power sectors. It was the biggest investor in Myanmar’s FY2010–11 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) windfall of almost $20 billion — more than the previous twenty years combined.2 This was just slightly higher than Vietnam’s approved investments for the corresponding fiscal year, which totalled $19.9 billion.3 Yet the 2010–11 FDI figures exemplified a decade long trend of investment being overwhelmingly concentrated in the extractive (mining and oil and gas) and power sectors. Only 1 per cent of the FDI from FY2010–11 was outside these sectors, evidence that foreign investors saw few other viable investment opportunities in Myanmar’s challenging business climate. The majority of these investments came from neighbouring countries, most notably China, but also Thailand and South Korea. This is partly the result of Beijing’s often overstated but still sizable influence in Naypyidaw, as well
as its desire to secure natural resources from abroad and bypass the strategic chokepoint that is the Straits of Malacca.4 But the source of Myanmar’s FDI is also shaped by other factors, including different home country investment patterns. China, for example, is historically a major investor in resource projects. Singapore and Japan tend to invest more in sectors such as real estate and manufacturing, yet because these projects were less viable in Myanmar for the last decade, investors from these countries have often turned elsewhere. Despite oft-cited competition for resource investment in Myanmar, India’s actual investment in the country has been miniscule, though Indian investors have in recent years spent approximately 80 per cent of their FDI on mergers and acquisitions, which are rare in Myanmar.
The concentration of FDI has important implications for Myanmar’s economic development, as contrary to common perceptions FDI is not inherently or uniformly beneficial for a host country. Instead, the positives vary depending on the source and sector of investments, the forward and backward linkages they create with other parts of the economy, the number and types of jobs created, and the host country’s economic policies. Most of the FDI that has come into Myanmar in the last decade has created little direct employment and few linkages with existing industries, limiting their positive benefits. Despite this, FDI is still rightly viewed as an important part of Myanmar’s economic development.
This paper reviews changes in the source country and economic sector of FDI in Myanmar using actual and approved investment data from 1989 until 2011. The data has been disaggregated by country, sector, and for select years both. It looks at FDI in two periods: the first from the passage of the Foreign Investment Law in November 1988 to the end of FY1999–2000, and the second from FY2000–01 to the present. This division was selected because it falls at the end of a decade, during a lull in both approved and actual investment (after most of the projects approved before the 1997–98 Asian Financial Crisis had been fulfilled), and around the time when the changing trends in Myanmar’s FDI were first becoming evident. The paper starts by noting some caveats of FDI figures in Myanmar. It then reviews recent literature on FDI in Myanmar, before examining the major trends in the country’s investment data. The next section compares these trends with those of Myanmar’s neighbours, Vietnam and Laos. The paper then engages with the theoretical literature on FDI to explore what these investment patterns reveal about the macro economy, and how they are shaped by geopolitics, sanctions, commercial concerns and the specific investment patterns of each home country. The paper closes with a brief examination of whether these FDI projects can contribute to broad-based economic development in Myanmar..."

"Despite the tens of millions of dollars in aid
and concessional loans being spent in Cam-
bodia with the ostensible aim of securing land
tenure and making the management of land
and natural resources more equitable and
sustainable, the evidence shows that tenure
insecurity, forced evictions and large-scale
land grabbing are escalating to alarming
levels. Against this backdrop this discus-
sion paper proposes a better approach to
development interventions in the land sector,
in which processes and tools that elevate
rights, transparency and accountability are
incorporated throughout the project cycle and
broader country strategy. The paper calls on
development partners to adopt a ten-pronged
framework for a human rights approach to
development that aims to shift power to Cam-
bodia’s citizens and increase accountability of
decision-makers and power-holders.
The paper begins with a rationale for adopt-
ing a human rights approach to development.
Human rights are the foundation of just and
prosperous societies in which individuals have
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-
ingful lives. The ultimate goal of development
should therefore be a society in which civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights
are fully respected and enjoyed as social
and legal guarantees on a non-discriminatory
basis. The path of development will be most
conducive to such an outcome if members
of society are encouraged to be active and
informed agents in the development process,
including through public debate, and are able
to hold decision-makers to account..."

Summary:
"The reinvestment in agriculture, triggered by the 2008 food price crisis, is essential
to the concrete realization of the right to food. However, in a context of ecological, food
and energy crises, the most pressing issue regarding reinvestment is not how much, but
how. This report explores how States can and must achieve a reorientation of their
agricultural systems towards modes of production that are highly productive, highly
sustainable and that contribute to the progressive realization of the human right to adequate
food.
Drawing on an extensive review of the scientific literature published in the last five
years, the Special Rapporteur identifies agroecology as a mode of agricultural development
which not only shows strong conceptual connections with the right to food, but has proven
results for fast progress in the concretization of this human right for many vulnerable
groups in various countries and environments. Moreover, agroecology delivers advantages
that are complementary to better known conventional approaches such as breeding highyielding
varieties. And it strongly contributes to the broader economic development.
The report argues that the scaling up of these experiences is the main challenge
today. Appropriate public policies can create an enabling environment for such sustainable
modes of production. These policies include prioritizing the procurement of public goods in
public spending rather than solely providing input subsidies; investing in knowledge by
reinvesting in agricultural research and extension services; investing in forms of social
organization that encourage partnerships, including farmer field schools and farmers’
movements innovation networks; investing in agricultural research and extension systems;
empowering women; and creating a macro-economic enabling environment, including
connecting sustainable farms to fair markets."

"This paper is confrontational and challenges many deep assumptions in mainstream
development. It argues that from the early
1990s in many ways Cambodia became a ‘donor
playground’, a term that some may find troubling,
if not actually offensive. It supports this
argument by reference to various arguments in
development studies, to a specific case study
of intervention in Cambodia, and to an examination of important parts of the relevant donor
‘knowledge production’. For us, these show that
this term is, indeed, suitable and we will
make various practical recommendations as to
how things may progress in the future..."

"The Millennium Declaration in 2000 was a milestone in international cooperation, inspiring development efforts that have improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Ten years later, world leaders will gather again at the United Nations in New York to review progress, assess obstacles and gaps, and agree on concrete strategies and actions to meet the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
The Goals represent human needs and basic rights that every individual around the world should be able to enjoy—freedom from extreme poverty and hunger; quality education, productive and decent employment, good health and shelter; the right of women to give birth without risking their lives; and a world where environmental sustainability is a priority, and women and men live in equality. Leaders also pledged to forge a wide-ranging global partnership for development to achieve these universal objectives.
This report shows how much progress has been made. Perhaps most important, it shows that the Goals are achievable when nationally owned development strategies, policies and programmes are supported by international development partners. At the same time, it is clear that improvements in the lives of the poor have been unacceptably slow, and some hard-won gains are being eroded by the climate, food and economic crises.
The world possesses the resources and knowledge to ensure that even the poorest countries, and others held back by disease, geographic isolation or civil strife, can be empowered to achieve the MDGs.
Meeting the goals is everyone’s business. Falling short would multiply the dangers of our world – from instability to epidemic diseases to environmental degradation. But achieving the goals will put us on a fast track to a world that is more stable, more just, and more secure.
Billions of people are looking to the international community to realize the great vision embodied in the Millennium Declaration. Let us keep that promise. --
Ban Ki-moon,
Secretary-General, United Nations

"Every society clings to a myth by which it lives. Ours
is the myth of economic growth. For the last five
decades the pursuit of growth has been the single
most important policy goal across the world. The
global economy is almost five times the size it was
half a century ago. If it continues to grow at the
same rate the economy will be 80 times that size
by the year 2100.
This extraordinary ramping up of global economic
activity has no historical precedent. It’s totally at
odds with our scientific knowledge of the finite
resource base and the fragile ecology on which
we depend for survival. And it has already been
accompanied by the degradation of an estimated
60% of the world’s ecosystems.
For the most part, we avoid the stark reality
of these numbers. The default assumption is that
– financial crises aside – growth will continue
indefinitely. Not just for the poorest countries, where
a better quality of life is undeniably needed, but
even for the richest nations where the cornucopia
of material wealth adds little to happiness and
is beginning to threaten the foundations of our
wellbeing.
The reasons for this collective blindness are easy
enough to find. The modern economy is structurally
reliant on economic growth for its stability. When
growth falters – as it has done recently – politicians
panic. Businesses struggle to survive. People lose
their jobs and sometimes their homes. A spiral of
recession looms. Questioning growth is deemed to
be the act of lunatics, idealists and revolutionaries.
But question it we must. The myth of growth
has failed us. It has failed the two billion people
who still live on less than $2 a day. It has failed
the fragile ecological systems on which we depend
for survival. It has failed, spectacularly, in its own
terms, to provide economic stability and secure
people’s livelihoods..."

Wuppertal Paper, October 2003...
"The Institute's Globalisation project published the first English Wuppertal Paper "Environment and Human Rights" by Wolfgang Sachs. First, it outlines six typical situations in which patterns of resource use come into conflict with subsistence rights: namely, extraction of raw materials, alteration of ecosystems, reprogramming of organisms, destabilization as a result of climate change, pollution of urban living space, and effects of resource prices. It then introduces the debate on human rights and locates respect for subsistence rights as a component of economic, social and cultural human rights. Finally, it offers some markers for an environmental policy geared to human rights, the aim of which is to guarantee civil rights for all in a world with a finite biosphere..."
>>> Further Literature on Ecology and Human Rights

"Ruined buildings hide their secrets under piles of earth and rubble.
Archaeologists, shovel in hand, work through layer upon layer to reveal
underpinnings and thus discover the origins of a dilapidated monument. But
ideas can also turn out to be ruins with their foundations covered by years or
even centuries of sand.
I believe that the idea of development stands today like a ruin in the
intellectual landscape, its shadows obscuring our vision. It is high time we
tackled the archaeology of this towering conceit, that we uncovered its
foundations to see it for what it is: the outdated monument to an immodest
era...
Wind and snow stormed over Pennsylvania Avenue on 20 January 1949
when, in his inauguration speech before Congress, US President Harry Truman
defined the largest part of the world as "underdeveloped areas". There it was,
suddenly a permanent feature of the landscape, a pivotal concept which crammed
the immeasurable diversity of the globe's south into single category:
underdeveloped. For the first time, the new world view was thus announced;
all the peoples of the earth were to move along the same track and aspire to
only one goal: development.
And the road to follow lay clearly before the President's eyes: "Greater
production is the key to prosperity and peace."
After all, was it not the US which had already come closest to this utopia?
According to that yardstick, nations fall into place as stragglers or lead runners.
And "the United States is pre-eminent among nations in the development of
industrial and scientific techniques". Clothing self-interest in generosity, Truman
outlined a programme of technical assistance designed to "relieve the suffering
of these peoples" through "industrial activities and "a higher standard of living".
Looking back after forty years, we recognise Truman's speech as the starting
gun in the race for the South to catch up with the North. But we also see that
the field of runners has been dispersed, as some competitors have fallen by the
wayside and others have begun to suspect that they are running in the wrong
direction..."

Conscious of the need to highlight the endogenous nature of development and
the variety of ways in which it can be brought about, the General Conference
of Unesco has called for a study of the effects of the activities of the transnational
corporations on the development process, especially in the Organization's
spheres of competence. If development is to be endogenous, the
different societies concerned must retain their own identity, drawing their
strength from their own specific forms of thinking, and acting and setting
themselves goals that are consonant with those values and with the needs
they feel and the resources they possess. This is the spirit in which this
study has been undertaken. The study is based on an extensive bibliography,
which calls on the findings of a large number of studies on the activities of
the transnational corporations, including those carried out by Unesco and
the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations. It takes stock of
our knowledge of the socio-cultural impact of the transnational corporations'
activities and is a starting-point in the bid to identify the effects they
have more clearly.

"...
"Right Livelihood" is one of the requirements of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. It is clear, therefore, that there must be such a thing as Buddhist economics.
Buddhist countries have often stated that they wish to remain faithful to their heritage. So Burma: “The New Burma sees no conflict between religious values and economic progress. Spiritual health and material well-being are not enemies: they are natural allies.” 1 Or: “We can blend successfully the religious and spiritual values of our heritage with the benefits of modern technology.” 2 Or: “We Burmans have a sacred duty to conform both our dreams and our acts to our faith. This we shall ever do.” 3
All the same, such countries invariably assume that they can model their economic development plans in accordance with modern economics, and they call upon modern economists from so-called advanced countries to advise them, to formulate the policies to be pursued, and to construct the grand design for development, the Five-Year Plan or whatever it may be called. No one seems to think that a Buddhist way of life would call for Buddhist economics, just as the modern materialist way of life has brought forth modern economics.
Economists themselves, like most specialists, normally suffer from a kind of metaphysical blindness, assuming that theirs is a science of absolute and invariable truths, without any presuppositions. Some go as far as to claim that economic laws are as free from "metaphysics" or "values" as the law of gravitation. We need not, however, get involved in arguments of methodology. Instead, let us take some fundamentals and see what they look like when viewed by a modern economist and a Buddhist economist..."

"Since there is now increasing evidence of environmental
deterioration, particularly in living nature, the entire
outlook and methodology of economics is being called
into question. The study of economics is too narrow
and too fragmentary to lead to valid insights,
unless complemented and completed by a study
of meta-economics . . . ."